MTA Regional Bus Operations

MTA Regional Bus Operations provides public bus service in the southeast of the state of New York under several brands. Regional Bus Operations is currently only used in official documentation, and not publicly as a brand. The current public brands are listed below: • MTA New York City Bus – most routes within the City of New York, operated by the New York City Transit Authority (NYCT) and its subsidiary, Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority (MaBSTOA). • MTA Bus – service previously administered by the New York City Department of Transportation and operated by seven private companies at the time of the takeover, mostly concentrated in Queens, with some routes in the Bronx and Brooklyn, and most express service from Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx to Manhattan. The seven former companies were, Command Bus Company, Inc.; Green Bus Lines, Inc.; Jamaica Buses, Inc., Liberty Lines Express, Inc.; New York Bus Service, Inc.; Queens Surface Corp.; and Triboro Coach Corp. The most common livery scheme today is a straight blue stripe across the sides of the bus against a white base, with no colors on the front or back, and black window trim. From 1977 until late 2007, the livery was a full all-around stripe with a black rear, and until late 2010 (and still present on buses repainted during this time), the scheme was a stripe with a white rear and no rear stripe. Most buses operated in Select Bus Service bus rapid transit service are wrapped with a light blue-and-white wrap below the windows. In spring 2016, a new livery was introduced based on navy blue, light blue, and yellow, with a mostly blue front and sides, a light blue and yellow wave, and a yellow back. This new livery will gradually replace the blue stripe on a white base livery. The livery is commonly known as the MTA's Andrew Cuomo Scheme or Excelsior Scheme (after the state motto for New York). RBO is led by Frank Farrell, the Executive Vice President of the NYCT Department of Buses and MTA Bus. Currently, many RBO's operational changes have been at the management level, with the creation of a unified command center and consolidation of management for all bus operations, with the aim of reducing redundancies in the agency. Other changes have included eliminating the MTA Bus call center, folding it into that of MTA New York City Transit, and the unification of the fare policy for all of the MTA's services. == History ==

The history of the MTA's bus operations generally follows the history of the New York City Transit Authority (NYCT) (also known as MTA New York City Transit) which was created on June 15, 1953, by the State of New York to take over operations then operated by the New York City Board of Transportation. Many routes were soon added, replacing lines such as the Brooklyn and North River Line (trolleys) and Queens Bus Lines (buses), and the DP&S also began operating trolleys in Staten Island to replace the Staten Island Midland Railway's system. Another city acquisition was the Bridge Operating Company, which ran the Williamsburg Bridge Local trolley, acquired in 1921 by the DP&S. Unlike the other lines, this one remained city-operated, and was replaced by the B39 bus route on December 5, 1948, by then transferred to the New York City Board of Transportation. With the city takeover of the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation's surface subsidiary, the Brooklyn and Queens Transit Corporation, on June 2, 1940, the city gained a large network of trolley and bus lines, covering all of Brooklyn and portions of Queens. On February 23, 1947, the Board of Transportation took over the Staten Island bus network of the Isle Transportation Company. Further acquisitions were made on March 30, 1947, with the North Shore Bus Company in Queens, and September 24, 1948, with the East Side Omnibus Corporation and Comprehensive Omnibus Corporation in Manhattan. The final Brooklyn trolleys were the Church Avenue Line and McDonald Avenue Line, discontinued on October 31, 1956, though the privately operated (by the Queensboro Bridge Railway) Queensboro Bridge Local remained until 1957. , is operating in special holiday service in 2008. By the late 1950s, the city operated all local service in Staten Island and Brooklyn, approximately half of the local Queens service, and several Manhattan routes. Several private companies operated buses in Queens, and the Avenue B and East Broadway Transit Company operated a small Manhattan system. The largest system was the Fifth Avenue Coach Company and Surface Transit, which operated almost all Manhattan routes and all Bronx routes, plus two into Queens (15 Fifth Avenue – Jackson Heights and TB Triborough Bridge) and one within Queens (16 Elmhurst Crosstown). After a strike in 1962, the city condemned the assets of the bus companies. To facilitate the anticipated sale of the bus service back to private ownership, a new agency, the Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority (MaBSTOA) was formed as a subsidiary of the New York City Transit Authority to operate the former Fifth Avenue Coach Lines, Inc. and Surface Transit, Inc. routes under lease from the city. The final acquisition was in 1980, when MaBSTOA took over operations of the Avenue B & East Broadway Transit Co. Inc.'s routes, using MaBSTOA equipment with Avenue B red route roll signs (NYCTA acquired the 13 Grumman Flxibles that had been assigned to Avenue B and placed them in NYCTA service). In late 1981, the MTA merged the New York City Transit Authority's Surface Division (aka NYCTA Civil Service) with the Manhattan & Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority (aka MaBSTOA Non Civil Service) into one single entity using the MTA New York City Transit Authority (or MTA – New York City Bus) moniker instead of the former. Public takeover of the remaining Queens buses, as well as most express routes, was implemented in 2005 and 2006 when the city purchased the assets of seven private bus companies, and entered into an agreement with the new MTA Bus Company for their operation and funding. In 2008, the bus operations of New York City Transit and MTA Bus Company (as well as the now former Long Island Bus division) were merged into a new regional operation, MTA Regional Bus Operations. The New York City Bus and MTA Bus brands continue to be used on all buses, but New York City Transit (NYCT), Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority (MaBSTOA), and MTA Bus Company continue to be the legal entities operating the services. MTA Bus cruiser, used in express bus service. This example wears the livery used from 1977 until 2016. MTA Bus Company was established as a subsidiary public benefit corporation in late 2004 to operate bus services resulting from the city's takeover of the privately operated bus route operations previously administered and subsidized by the NYCDOT. Old Gen on the Q100 Limited; this route used to be part of Queens Surface Corporation as the Q101R, till MTA takeover in 2005. The routes were taken over on a staggered schedule, beginning with the former Liberty Lines Express bus routes on January 3, 2005, Queens Surface Corporation bus routes on February 27, 2005, New York Bus Service bus routes on July 1, 2005, Command Bus Company bus routes on December 5, 2005, Green Bus Lines bus routes on January 9, 2006, and Jamaica Buses bus routes on January 30, 2006. Triboro Coach Corporation, the final remaining company, ceased operating on February 20, 2006. Up until January 3, 2022, the only NYCDOT-subsidized lines not consolidated into the MTA were those run by Academy Bus and formerly by Atlantic Express until their bankruptcy in 2013. Academy Bus previously operated those routes and others until 2001, when Atlantic Express and NYCT took them over. Although the X23, and X24 routes were absorbed by Atlantic Express, the X17J, X21, X22, and X30 routes were absorbed by the New York City Transit Authority. NYCT discontinued service on the X21 months after the takeover. At the time, NYS Assemblyman Lou Tobacco and NYS Senator Andrew Lanza, along with U.S. Congressman Michael E. McMahon and NYC Councilmen Vincent Ignizio and James Oddo have asked the MTA to look into the possible consolidation of the remainder of the NYCDOT routes. In Brooklyn, a company called Private Transportation operates the B110 route. This is franchised but not subsidized by NYCDOT. Atlantic Express also ran the AE7 express route from the Tottenville and Travis neighborhoods of Staten Island in the same manner as the Private Transportation B110 local route. Citing low ridership and increased costs, Atlantic Express canceled the AE7 service on December 31, 2010. Councilmen Ignizio and Oddo as well as Congressman Michael G. Grimm have called on the MTA to revamp that route also. During late 2021, due to an external lawsuit with the garage that operated the SIM23 and SIM24, the MTA announced the takeover of the two lines was imminent. On January 3, 2022, the MTA assumed control over the SIM23 and SIM24 routes formerly run by Academy. These routes are operated by New York City Transit out of the Charleston Depot. As a result of the takeover, the MTA modified the schedule and added two new trips in both directions for both routes. Merger in the current livery, introduced in spring 2016 The current system came into being in the mid-2000s following the MTA's assumption, through its subsidiary MTA Bus Company (MTABC), of services previously operated by private carriers under operating authority agreements administered by the New York City Department of Transportation, the successor to the New York City Bureau of Franchises. MTABC operates service pursuant to an agreement with the City of New York under which all expenses of MTABC, less operating revenues, are reimbursed. This brought almost all bus transportation in New York City under its control. After the bus mergers were completed in 2006, the MTA then moved to streamline its operations through consolidation of management function. To that effect, RBO was officially created in May 2008, with the president of what was then MTA New York City Transit's Department of Buses, Joseph J. Smith, named to lead the consolidated bus operations. MTA Regional Bus also included the MTA Long Island Bus division until December 2011, when its services were transferred to the private operator Veolia Transport. == Operations ==

MTA Regional Bus routes are spread out across New York City. However, some bus routes may also operate to areas beyond city limits. The routes cross the Nassau County border to go to the Green Acres Mall in Valley Stream. The Rush routes leave Queens as they run along Hempstead Turnpike and onto the Cross Island Parkway, and Belmont Racetrack in Elmont, where they turn-around and re-enter the city. The Express bus serves another portion of Elmont, running to Dutch Broadway in the Alden Manor subsection. The Rush and Express buses run along Lakeville Road in Lake Success, Nassau County, upon entering Long Island Jewish Medical Center and North Shore Towers, respectively. The Q113 Limited and Q114 Rush cross into Nassau County between Southeast Queens and Far Rockaway. During peak hours, select Rush buses run to Cedarhurst in Nassau County.). Exceptions to this rule are four Brooklyn express routes operated by New York City Transit using an X prefix, which will be retired under that borough’s redesign. Lettered suffixes can be used to designate branches or variants. Local, Rush, and Limited-Stop Service on the , displaying "LIMITED" on its route sign, with several "Limited" cards on the operator's dashboard. This particular bus was withdrawn from service and scrapped in 2013. Local and limited-stop buses provide service within a single borough, or in some cases across two. While local buses make all stops along a route, Limited-Stop buses only make stops at busy transfer points, points of interest, and heavily used roadways. Limited-Stop Service was first attempted with the M4 bus during rush hours in 1973, then expanded to other routes from there. The usual setup is that Limited-Stop Service runs the full route, while local services run only in the limited-stop area, and the Limited-Stop buses run local at the tail ends of the route not served by locals, similar to the operation of some subway services and the Staten Island Railway. Rush buses follow the same principles as both the Local and Limited-Stop buses do, running local and limited-stop along their routes. Rush Service, first introduced in 2025 during the Queens Bus Network Redesign, is a new kind of bus service that combines the features of both Local and Limited-Stop Service into one brand new bus line. Rush buses make more local stops along some segments of the route than they make limited stops on other segments, or vice versa. There are full-route Limited-Stop buses that run alongside the local variant, making limited stops along the entire route; limited-only buses with no local variants under the same route number; and limited-zone buses, with a semi-limited section (with smaller distances between stops than on regular limited routes) near the route's tail ends, and a non-stop section in the middle. Rush and Limited-Stop buses flash "RUSH" and "LIMITED" respectively on their destination signs. Occasionally, on the latter buses, a paper orange and purple "Limited" sign will also be placed at the bottom of the windshield by the bus operator in case of false assumptions. Dark navy blue "LOCAL" and red and green "Express" signs also exist. The following MTA Regional Bus routes run Limited-Stop Service (for non-Staten Island routes, where there is a route numbering system, bold indicates no corresponding local service on the limited-stop route at all, and italic indicates no corresponding local service on the limited-stop route during the daytime): The following MTA Regional Bus routes in Queens run Rush service. Select Bus Service Select Bus Service (SBS), the brand name for MTA bus rapid transit service, is a variant of Limited-Stop bus service that requires fare payment to be made before boarding the bus, at fare payment machines in shelters at designated "stations" (such a shelter is shown to the right). Receipts given for payment of fare are "proof-of-payment" that must be shown to the MTA's fare inspectors upon request. In the event of the fare machine failing to issue a receipt, the bus operator must be notified of the problem. The implementation of this new service is paired with new lane markings and traffic signs that reserve a lane for buses only during the daytime. Buses used in this service are identifiable with "stations" equipped with ticket machines, and most of them also have a "+selectbusservice" wrap identifying them as such buses. Locations of stops (and in some cases, the local bus stops) were shifted or eliminated where possible to prevent mixing of local bus customers. SBS is offered in conjunction with the NYC DOT and NYS DOT. Express service Express bus service is generally geared towards peak hour commuters from the outer boroughs and neighboring suburbs that lack rail or subway services to and from Midtown Manhattan or Lower Manhattan. Some routes also provide significant off-peak service from early morning to late evening, every day. Routes with daily off-peak service include the BxM1/2, BxM3, BxM4, BxM6, BxM7, BxM8, BxM9, BxM10, BxM11, QM2, QM4, QM5/6, SIM3c, SIM4c, SIM33c, X27 and X28; the SIM1c runs 24 hours a day. 45-foot MCI and Prevost over-the-road coaches are used for express service. Access-A-Ride Access-A-Ride cab In addition to a 100% accessible bus fleet, New York City Transit provides paratransit services under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 under the Access-A-Ride brand, for customers who cannot use regular bus or subway service. It services all five boroughs of New York City at all times. The Access-A-Ride paratransit services are provided by various independent contractors, mostly using vehicles owned by the MTA, with some exceptions. Although all buses are wheelchair-accessible, these vehicles provide an accessible transport option for MTA riders. The program was created in 1991 after the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. == Bus stops ==

Within a service area, bus stops are normally located every two to three city blocks apart; specific guidelines dictate that stops should be placed every . Buses marked Limited-Stop, Select Bus Service, and Express have fewer stops. Stops are located curbside, usually at street intersections, identified by blue signage and shelters. Buses stop either on concrete pads, or designated bus lanes (maroon-red if painted). Some bus stops, particularly along Select Bus Service routes, are designed as bus bulbs. All bus stops are in effect at all times unless otherwise indicated by signage. Signage Bus stops in New York City are identified by two types of signs: • An older-style, simple rectangular metal sign, similar to other street signs in the city. Implementation on MTA Bus Company routes took place in the 2000s for express buses, and in 2012–2014 for local bus routes. Older signs . The first metal signs in the city to feature a pictograph of a bus were installed by the Transit Authority in the 1960s. Metal signs in their current design, which are mainly used on MTA Bus-operated routes and at temporary construction-regulation bus stops, were first used in 1976, as part of a pilot program on Fifth and Sixth Avenues in Midtown Manhattan funded by the Urban Mass Transit Administration, and fully implemented in the 1980s. In its current iteration, the upper portion of the sign is red, reading "NO STANDING" with an arrow identifying the no standing zone. Below on a blue background is a white circle, with a blue pictograph of a bus and wheelchair from the International Symbol of Access. Due to MTA Bus Time coming out, most old-style stops received a timetable box indicating the bus route's map, expected time arrivals, and a code to use on the website or app. Newer signs The modern color-coded lollipop-shaped bus stop signs, which are used at all bus stops on New York City Bus-operated routes as well as at bus stops shared with MTA Bus routes and other companies, were first installed in November 1996 in Jamaica, Queens. They were designed by W.S. Sign Design Corporation. The signs were created following two federal grants given to the MTA and DOT in 1994 totaling $1.5 million, in response to complaints from bus riders that the previous metal signs lacked basic information about bus routes and schedules, and that some signs were often missing entirely. They were based on signs used in London and Paris that had existed since at least the 1950s. The initial program called for the installation of 3,000 signs, of which 2,600 would be in Manhattan, and the remainder in the other boroughs. Initially, prototype signs were installed at selected locations, and then 400 signs started to be installed in December 1996, before being completed in April 1997, with the remaining signs installed by the end of 1997. The signs in Manhattan were installed using the $1 million USDOT grant, while the $500,000 from the Congestion Mitigation Air Quality grant was used for signs in the outer boroughs. The signs were placed at high-ridership bus stops that could not have bus shelters and locations where their durability could be properly tested. If the test was successful, it was expected that a full citywide installation would take six years. The signs are in violation of the New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law, Section 1680. The law requires all "traffic control devices" to comply with the U.S. Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) as modified by the NYS Supplement, and mandates that parking signs must be rectangular rather than circular. The new bus stop sign features a large circle on top and rectangular color-coded bus route information on the bottom. The bus stop circle also has a pictograph of a bus and ADA wheelchair, in white on a blue background. Hanging off the pole below are rectangular bus route signs, color-coded by type of service. Each has a route number and final destination, usually the neighborhood in which it terminates, though a street or landmark is listed for some routes. Westbound Bx12 local signs, for example, read "Sedgwick Avenue" instead of the neighborhood University Heights. feature electronic countdown clocks. In addition to the route and destination, an LED readout in between displays how many stops away or minutes away the next bus is using the MTA's "Bus Time" system. The first two signs of this kind, in Stapleton and New Dorp on Staten Island, were installed in 2013. The Stapleton stop is solar-powered. A third stop was installed near City Hall in Manhattan in 2015. An additional 18 stops in Staten Island and Brooklyn were approved for installation in late 2014, 10 for Queens in 2015, and 100 in Staten Island in 2016, as part of the NYCDOT's plan to install around 350 across the city. In 2018, as part of its Bus Action Plan, the MTA announced that more signs would receive electronic countdown clocks. As of 2016, a total of 32 bus stops had one of the two countdown clocks installed; the technology had been expanded to more than 500 bus stops by 2019. The current countdown clocks are successors to a pilot program on the M15 in 2007, and another on the M34 and M16 buses between 2009 and 2012. In 2025, the MTA began piloting battery-powered countdown clocks at four bus stops in Manhattan and Queens. These devices are smaller than either of the existing countdown clocks and are mounted on existing bus-stop poles. Sign colors The signage for routes at bus stops may be given different colors depending on the types of services available at each stop. Cemusa was awarded a 20-year contract for 3,300 bus shelters in May 2006, after the project had been receiving design bids going back to the 1990s. As opposed to the city paying Cemusa to install the shelters, the company paid for exclusive rights to advertise on the shelters; in return, the company would share a portion of the ad revenue generated. They replaced the simple old-style shelters, consisting of black-painted metal with glass. The first 24 shelters were installed by December 2006 in Queens. shelter on the route in Brooklyn. Designed by British architect Nicholas Grimshaw and his firm Grimshaw Architects, the shelters are constructed of stainless steel, with glass on three sides including the roof and rear. The fourth side consists of an advertising panel. On the non-advertising panel is an insert listing the streets of the intersection where the stop is located on the outer side, and route maps and information also featured on the Guide-A-Ride on its inner face. The shelters come in five sizes (Regular: ; Narrow: ; Short: ; Little: ; and Double: ). Several of these shelters, primarily in Manhattan, have since been equipped with LED displays, LCD video advertisement panels, and ad panels with NFC communication technology. Following the acquisition of Cemusa by French advertising firm JCDecaux in 2015, bus shelters are now maintained by JCDecaux. In 2025, as part of a $40 million project, the New York City Department of Transportation announced plans to install seated and standing benches at 8,750 bus stops citywide over the next decade. At the time, only about 5,000 bus stops (one-third of the citywide total) had benches, including as part of shelters. Standing benches would be installed where the installation of seated benches was not feasible. Late-night Request-A-Stop Between 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m., "Request-a-Stop" service is available as dictated by NYCDOT traffic regulations. If requested by a passenger, the bus operator may discharge passengers at a location along the route that is not a bus stop, as long as it is considered safe. If the location is not "safe" (i.e. it will interfere with traffic flow), the bus operator will discharge passengers at the nearest safe location. Request-A-Stop is not available on Select Bus Service, Non-stop sections of express routes, Limited-Stop routes, Rush sections on rush routes, or overnight bus shuttles. == Fleet ==

CNG bus outside Jamaica Center – Parsons/Archer in a bus introduced in 2016. The fleet consists of over 5,800 buses of various types and models for fixed-route service, making MTA RBO's fleet the largest public bus fleet in the United States. The MTA also has over 2,000 vans and cabs for ADA paratransit service, providing service in New York City, southwestern Nassau County, and the city of Yonkers. All vehicles (except for paratransit cabs) are fully accessible to persons with disabilities. Fixed-route buses are dispatched from 27 garages (19 New York City Bus and 8 MTA Bus). Several fleet improvements have been introduced over the system's history. The first large order of air conditioned buses began service in 1966. Also in the 1980s, stop-request cords ("bell cords") were replaced by yellow tape strips. However, buses ordered after 2008 feature cords rather than tape strips due to the latter's higher maintenance cost. Articulated buses were introduced in 1996, and have since become prominent in the Bronx and Manhattan. and made up most of the new non-express buses ordered since the early 2000s. The last non-express high-floor bus was withdrawn in 2019. Most post-2000 orders also feature stop-request buttons located on grab bars. The screens are supplied by contract from 3 different vendors and are installed on new bus deliveries starting in 2017 while buses built after 2008 are currently receiving retrofits. A new livery was also introduced, replacing the blue stripe livery on a white base that had been in use in one variation or another since the late 1970s. The first of these buses entered service in mid-May 2016 on the Q10 route. Low and zero emission buses Buses operating on clean or alternative fuels also make up a significant portion of the fleet, particularly since the establishment of the MTA's "Clean Fuel Bus" program in June 2000. and mass-ordered beginning in 1999. Hybrid-electric buses, operating with a combination of diesel and electric power, were introduced in September 1998, and mass-ordered beginning in 2004. This is the largest fleet of either kind in the United States. Between 2017 and 2021, the MTA tested a fleet of battery electric buses – subsequently ordering battery-electric buses in sixty-foot articulated and forty-foot lengths from 2019 onwards. In 2022, the MTA announced that they would trial hydrogen fuel cell buses, funded by a grant from New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. The first two buses (New Flyer Xcelsior CHARGE H2) will be launched in The Bronx by late 2024. The MTA announced that it would only purchase zero-emission buses from 2029, and that the entire bus fleet will be zero-emission by 2040. == Fares ==

Dollar bills and half-dollar coins are not accepted on fixed-route buses or Select Bus Service payment stations, nor are they accepted on buses of the Bee-Line Bus System (Bee-Line) in Westchester County or the Nassau Inter-County Express (NICE) in Nassau County. All fares are in US dollars, and the following fare policy applies to all New York City Transit, MTA Bus, Metro-North's Hudson Rail Link, NICE, and Bee-Line (except for the BxM4C) buses. Up to three children who are 5 years old or younger get to ride free provided that they are accompanied by a fare-paying rider. The Q70 route has not charged a fare since May 2022. From September 2023 to August 31, 2024, five additional routes—one in each borough, namely the and S46/S96—did not charge any fares as part of a pilot program. Fare collection In November 1993, a fare system called the MetroCard was introduced, which allows riders to use cards that store the value equal to the amount paid to a subway station booth clerk or vending machine. The MetroCard was enhanced in 1997 to allow passengers to make free transfers between subways and buses within two hours; several MetroCard-only transfers between subway stations were added in 2001. With the addition of unlimited-ride MetroCards in 1998, the New York City Transit system was the last major transit system in the United States with the exception of BART in San Francisco to introduce passes for unlimited bus and rapid transit travel. Unlimited-ride MetroCards are available for 7-day and 30-day periods. One-day "Fun Pass" and 14-day cards were also introduced, but have since been discontinued. In April 2016, MTA solicited proposals for a contactless "New Fare Payment System" to replace the MetroCard by 2022. On October 23, 2017, it was announced that the MetroCard would be phased out and replaced by OMNY, a contactless fare payment system also by Cubic, with fare payment being made using Apple Pay, Google Pay, debit/credit cards with near-field communication technology, or radio-frequency identification cards. All buses have accepted OMNY since December 2020. MetroCard sales ended December 31, 2025, although existing MetroCards could continue to be used until their balance was depleted or the card expired. == Quality of service ==

Frequency , three-quarters of bus routes provide high-frequency service in at least one direction during rush hours, with buses arriving at least every ten minutes. Of these routes, 54% provide high-frequency service in both directions, while 21% provide service only in the peak direction (toward transit hubs during the morning, and away from these hubs during the evening). One quarter of routes run with headways of more than 10 minutes during rush hours. Speed , MTA buses on local buses run at average speeds of , The slowest bus routes are typically crosstown bus routes in Manhattan, with 14 of the slowest bus routes in 2017 being crosstown bus routes. Other "winners" of the Pokey Award include the M79 on 79th Street both of which have now been converted to Select Bus Service routes. However, Select Bus Service routes only serve 12% of all bus riders , and the average bus route is 10% percent slower than it was in the mid-1990s. A 2015 study found that 35 MTA routes with significant ridership figures had average speeds of less than , and that the M66 crosstown bus had an average speed of . Slow bus rides were not limited to Manhattan routes; the Bx2 bus in the Bronx and the B35 bus in Brooklyn both ran at speeds of less than . In 2018, the riders' advocacy group Bus Turnaround Campaign rated each bus route based on speed and reliability, and gave 75% of city bus routes a "D" or "F" grade. As a result, in early January 2019, former mayor Bill de Blasio promised to raise bus speeds by 25% by the next year. As a result of these slow average speeds, MTA Regional Bus Operations has the highest per-mile operating cost of all city bus systems in the U.S., with a per-mile cost of $30.40. If the operating costs were closer to the U.S. average, MTA buses would have the highest farebox recovery ratio among U.S. cities' bus systems. Length and winding routes Many local New York City Bus and MTA Bus routes take long and winding routes that, in the most extreme cases, take more than two hours to traverse from end to end. After hosting several meetings with Staten Island residents, the MTA announced that express bus service to Staten Island was expected to be completely reorganized in August 2018. As part of the redesign, all of the existing bus routes were discontinued and replaced with 21 new routes with a "SIM" prefix. The redesigns of the Brooklyn and Queens bus networks, initially scheduled for early 2021, were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City. == Ridership ==

, weekday bus ridership in 2017 averaged 1.9 million, while total weekend ridership averaged 2.1 million. Express buses had an average weekday ridership of 40,200, while paratransit was used by a mean of 27,900 people each weekday. Bus ridership has steadily declined through the 2000s and 2010s. From 2008 to 2017, bus ridership declined by more than 100 million. Average weekday bus ridership fell 5.7%, and average weekend bus ridership fell 4%, from 2016 to 2017. The greatest ridership decreases were in Manhattan, where bus ridership declined more than 15% from 2011 to 2016. Ridership decreased less dramatically in Brooklyn and parts of Queens and Staten Island, while ridership increased slightly within the Bronx, southwest Brooklyn, central Queens, and most of Staten Island. Bus lines that ran parallel to subway routes also saw ridership declines. As of 2017, there were thirteen bus routes with at least 20 stops within of a subway station; all saw ridership declines, with each route averaging a 20% loss. == Service improvements ==

Bus lanes To speed up bus service, the city started installing bus lanes in Downtown Brooklyn and St. George, Staten Island, in 1963. Another bus lane was soon installed along Hillside Avenue in Queens. In 1969, part of 42nd Street in Midtown Manhattan also received a bus lane. Additional bus lanes were added in the 1970s and 1980s. The city's bus lane network is about long , representing nearly two percent of the city's of streets. The bus lane rules are enforced by traffic cameras on gantries above the lanes; photos are taken of vehicles who violate the rules, and these motorists are then fined. Bus lanes have generally increased average bus speeds and reduced travel times where they are installed. However, double-parked vehicles and other obstructions often force buses to merge out of these lanes. Traffic signals with bus preemption allow traffic lights to display a green signal for a longer-than-normal period of time when a bus approaches the intersection. The first corridor to receive traffic signal priority was the Victory Boulevard corridor on Staten Island in 2006, which used infrared detection technology to allow traffic signals to communicate with transponders on buses. The MTA started testing signal priority along the M15 in Lower Manhattan in 2012. From 2014 to 2016, five Select Bus Service routes received GPS-based traffic signal priority at 260 intersections. They were the M15 in Manhattan; the B44 along Nostrand Avenue in Brooklyn; the S79 along Hylan Boulevard on Staten Island; the Bx41 along Webster Avenue in the Bronx; and the B46 along Utica Avenue in Brooklyn. Eleven more corridors were set to receive traffic signal priority by July 2017. and preemptive traffic signals in New York City were used in much lower proportions than in other major cities. Bus Action Plan double-decker bus unveiled as part of the Bus Action Plan In April 2018, in response to a citywide transit crisis and complaints about the general quality of MTA bus service, the MTA published a Bus Action Plan detailing 28 suggestions to improve the bus system. Within twelve months, targeted corridor improvements were to be implemented, some bus stops would be removed to speed up service, and off-peak bus service would be expanded on strategic routes. As part of the plan, there will be a system-wide redesign of the bus network by 2021 to improve connectivity and provide more direct service. Safety features and customer amenities were installed on new and existing buses as part of the Bus Action Plan. By January 2019, audible "pedestrian turn warning" announcement systems were installed on 617 buses, while cameras were installed on the inside of 3,469 buses and on the outside of 319 buses. As part of a pilot program in early 2024, CCTV screens were to be installed on 100 buses to discourage fare evasion and assaults against staff. == See also ==